Language as a sign of national identity. Romanian interwar perspectives and applications

Abstract

Language is an inherent component of identity, be it individual or collective. For peoples, it is the first element by which they separate each other as belonging to one nation or another. For states, it is a powerful tool for socio-political determining. In the case of interwar Romania, language was used for the double-sided objective of nation-building, in the sense of standardising both the ethnic and the civic nation. For Romanians „by blood” linguistic policies were meant to eliminate various regional cultural contaminations; language was advocated as an organic link meant to strenghten the unity of the people. For Romanians „by political right”, language was used for social levelling and integration. The article will discuss various legislative and cultural practices that were used for building the Romanian nation-state, keeping in mind the complicated circumstances of finding balance between the strong desire for ethnic centifugation and the need for civic equality and peace.